This poem is a collaboration with Melissa Tibbs. I am thankful for her insight in recording these thoughts as we traveled in our bus all over the countryside.
I wonder...
Who the cows belong to
Who cares for the wandering goats
What life is like on the mountain
When the school gate will open to the students
How the lady balances such a load on her head,
When I cannot balance a book
How many times they walk to the water pump in one day
How much it costs to ride a tap-tap
How much gas is and why it is all full service
If there are rabies clinics
Who lives behind all those tall gates
What it would be like to ride a tap-tap
Where all the shoes and suitcases for sale come from
What the man in the ravine is bending over to pick up
How long it took to rebuild roads after the earthquake
What Simone would do if she saw all this trash
What the man sitting with his chin in his hand
Is thinking as he looks out at the ocean
If the Haitian people realize how beautiful their country is
How life is better in Haiti than in Dunlap
How far the lady on the donkey must ride
If the mother of the club-footed girl will ever return for her
How I will ever be the same after this trip
That works!
ReplyDelete